Self-operated elevator



p 9 9 A. ANDERSON 3,464,520

SELF-OPERATED ELEVATOR Filed Nov. 14, 1967 v z Sheefs-Sheetl KIT/Emma LE ONARD/L ANDERSON ATTORNEYS Sept. 2, 1969 A. ANDERSON 3,464,520

SELF-OPERATED ELEVATOR Filed Nov. 14, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. LEONARD A. ANDERSON ATTORN EYS 3,464,520 SELF-OPERATED ELEVATOR Leonard A. Anderson, 301 W. 89th St, Kansas City, Mo. 64114 Filed Nov. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 682,947 Int. Cl. E04g 1/18, 3/10, /00

U.S. Cl. 182142 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The principal objects of the present invention are: to provide a stable one man self-operated elevator and scaffold adapted to be moved horizontally on a horizontal surface and adapted to be moved vertically along a vertical surface; to provide such an elevator and scaffold having a plurality of equipment and tool supporting members mounted on a cage; to provide such an elevator having a rectangular first portion adapted to be adjacent a work surface and a triangular second portion adapted to support a winch or power means for raising and lowering the elevator; to provide such an elevator constructed of strong light weight materials which is portable; and to provide such an elevator simple to operate, economical to manufacture, and versatile and safe in use.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a one-man self-operated portable scaffold embodying features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the scaffold.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, at an enlarged scale, of one of a pair of adjustable wheels mounted at the rear of the scaffold.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the present invention showing a power unit for raising and lowering the scaffold.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

The reference numeral 1 generally designates a onernan self-operated portable scaffold or elevator having a work platform 2 surrounded by a cage 3.

A cage base frame 4 supports the platform 2 and the cage 3 which extends upwardly therefrom. In the illustrated structure, the cage base frame 4 is formed by tubular members 5 extending around the periphery of the platform 2. The tubular members 5 may be round, square or rectangular. The platform 2 is supported on a platform supporting plate 6 which is suitably secured to the cage base frame 4 as by welding. In the illustrated structure the platform supporting plate 6 is mounted on a lower surface of the tubular members 5 and extends inwardly therefrom to receive the platform 2 which is suitably secured thereon as by bolts 7.

The platform 2 and cage 3 have a first or work portion 8 adapted to be positioned adjacent a work surface such as a vertical wall 9. The platform 2 and the cage States Patent 0 3,464,520 Patented Sept. 2, 1969 3 have a second or front portion 10 adapted to extend outwardly from the work surface such as the wall 9. In the illustrated structure the work portion 8 of the platform 2 is substantially rectangular and the front portion 10 of the platform 2 and the cage 3 is substantially triangular with an apex 11 at a point away from the wall 9.

The cage 3 is formed by plurality of upright members 12 supported on the tubular members 5 and extending upwardly therefrom. A plurality of rail members 14 extend between the upright members 12. The rear of the cage 3 is open to permit easy access to the work surface by a workman on the scaffold 1.

The upright members 12 positioned at a point where the rectangular work portion 8 joins the triangular front portion 10 extend above the upright members 12 positioned adjacent the wall 9 to form a main frame 15. The main frame 15 is thereby substantially centered in relation to the cage 3.

Work equipment and tools are supported on suitable tool supporting members such as cleats 16, hooks 17, rings 18 and hangers 19 mounted on the cage 3. In the illustrated structure, the equipment and tool supporting members are mounted on the upright members 12 to support equipment such as drill motors, sand blasting equipment, paint spray guns and the like. Rope and cable may be wound around the cleats 16 to support various articles and equipment. Rope or cable may be threaded through the rings 18 to hoist various supplies from lower levels such as drinking water, food, paint cans, mortar buckets and the like.

The scaffold or elevator 1 is suspendedly supported from a suitable cage support means such as a beam 20 or a suitable hook (not shown) such as L-shaped or S-shaped hoop suitable secured to a structure such as a chimney, stand pipe, skylight or the like and supporting a shackle having one end of a cable 21 secured thereto.

A suitable swivel caster 22 having a rotatable wheel 23 mounted therein is mounted below the base frame 4 and positioned at the apex 11 of the triangular front portion 10. The swivel caster 22 is adapted to engage a horizontal surface 24 thereby providing support for the scaffold 1 and permitting movement along the horizontal surface 24.

Rear wheels 25 and 26 are adjustably mounted on the cage base frame 4 and positioned to be adjacent the vertical wall 9 of a structure. The rear wheels 25 and 26 are each adjustable between a retracted position 27 and an extended position 28. In the retracted position 27, the rear wheels 25 and 26 are positioned and adapted to engage the horizontal surface 24 to support the scaffold 1 and permit horizontal movement along the horizontal surface 24 in cooperation with the wheel 23 of the swivel caster 22. In the extended position 28, the rear wheels 25 and 26 are adapted to engage a vertical work surface such as the wall 9 to permit vertical movement up and down the wall 9.

In the illustrated structure a tubular member or sleeve 29 is mounted on each side of the base frame 4 and positioned adjacent the rear of the work portion 8 and substantially parallel with the platform 2. An elongate shaft 30 is slidably mounted within each of the sleeves 29. A yoke 31 is suitably secured to one end of each shaft 30, as by being welded thereto. The rear wheels 25 and 26 are each rotatably mounted within the respective yoke 31 and positioned to rotate about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the respective shaft 30.

The rear wheels 25 and 26 are independently adjusted between the respective retracted positions 27, respective extended positions 28 and intermediate positions therebetween. Each wheel supporting shaft 30 is retained in the respective positions by a retaining rod 32 movably the rod 32 toward the shaft to permit frictional engagement therewith and rotating the rod 32 in a reverse direction moves the rod 32 away from the shaft 30 to remove frictional engagement with the shaft 30 and thereby permit adjustment of the wheels 25 and 26 between the respective retracted positions and the respective extended positions. The retaining rod 32 thereby permits adjustment of the respective rear wheels 25 and 26 and retains the rear wheels in the various selected positions.

Raising and lowering means 35 are mounted on the cage 3 and positioned to clear the platform 2. In the illustrated structure, the cable 21 has the other end thereof engaging and adapted to be wound around a winch 36. In the illustrated structure the winch 36 is manually operated to raise the scaffold 1 by a jack handle 37. A driving pawl 38 is mounted on the jack handle 37 and positioned to engage outwardly extending teeth 39 of a drum 40 mounted on the winch 36. A suitable locking pawl 41 is positioned to engage the teeth 39 of the drum 40 to prevent reverse rotation thereof.

A crank handle 42 is used to lower the scaffold 1. The crank handle 42 rotates a suitable worm 43 engaging a gear 44 which rotates the drum 40 in a direction reverse to the rotation produced by the jack handle 37. During lowering of the scafford 1 it is necessary to disengage a ratchet pawl 45 from a ratchet 46 and manually disengage the locking pawl 41 from the teeth 39. The locking pawl 41 remains in engagement with the teeth 39 except during lowering of the scaffold 1.

A cable guide 47 is positioned adjacent and above the raising and lowering means 35 to threadedly receive the cable 21. An adjustable pulley 48 is positioned above the platform 2 at a point substantially in the center of the scaffold 1 and at the top of the main frame 15 to direct the cable 21 from the beam 20, or other suitable support, through the cable guide 47 to the winch 36.

The cage 3 and cage base frame 4 may be constructed of suitable light weight members, such as tubular members of aluminum. The light weight scaffold 1 may be manually maneuvered along the horizontal surface 24.

The scaffold 1 is sized to comfortably support one man and the necessary tools and equipment required for the man to remain in the scaffold 1 while same is in a raised position thereby substantially reducing the number of up and down movements required to get tools and equipment thus resulting in a substantial time saving by eliminating the time usually wasted in climbing up and down the cable 21 for tools, equipment, food, water, supplies and the like.

The scaffold 1 is particularly adapted for interior or exterior construction or maintenance operations and the adjustable rear wheels 25 and 26 are adapted to engage vertical surfaces which are planar, such as building walls, or curved surfaces, such as chimneys, smoke stacks and the like.

A modified form of the scaffold 1 is illustrated in FIG. 4 wherein the raising and lowering means 35 is a power unit 49 connected to a suitable source of power such as electricity or an air compressor. The power unit 49 is operative to move up or down the cable 21 in response to adjustment of an operating lever 50. In the illustrated structure, a second cable guide 51 is positioned below the power unit 49 to guide the cable 21 away from the platform 2. The adjustable pulley 48 is positioned above the platform 2 to direct the cable 21 to the upper cable guide 47 and to the power unit 49.

As in the structure previously described, the modified form illustrated in FIG. 4 has an open cage adjacent the work surface such as the wall 9.

It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described two forms of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A self-operated elevator comprising:

(a) a platform,

(b) a cage extending upwardly from said platform and having a base supporting said platform and having a front and a rear,

(c) means mounted on said cage for raising and lowering said elevator,

(d) swivel support means mounted on said cage base adjacent said cage front and having a wheel rotatably mounted therein, and

(e) adjustable support means mounted on said cage base adjacent said cage rear and having wheels rotatably mounted therein, said adjustable support means including a first position adapted to engage a horizontal surface for horizontal movement therealong in cooperation with said swivel support means, and a second position adapted to engage a vertical surface for vertical movement therealong.

2. The self-operated elevator as set forth in claim 1 including:

(a) a plurality of equipment and tool supporting members mounted on said cage.

3. The self-operated elevator as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

(a) said platform has a first portion being substantially rectangular and a second portion being connected to said first portion and substantially triangular, said second portion being said cage front;

(b) said swivel support means is mounted on said platform second portion at an apex thereof, and

(c) said cage is open at said rear thereof.

4. The self-operated elevator as set forth in claim 3 wherein said cage includes:

(a) a plurality of upright members extending upwardly from said platform,

(b) a plurality of rail members extending between said respective upright members, and

(c) said upright members mounted on said platform second portion extending above said upright members mounted on said platform first portion with said winch and said cable guide and said adjustable pulley mounted on said extended upright members at a position substantially above said platform.

5. The self-operated elevator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for raising and lowering said elevator includes:

(a) a power unit having said cable threaded therethrough and adapted to selectively move up and down said cable;

(b) cable guides positioned above and below said power unit, said cable being threaded through said cable guides; and

(c) an adjustable pulley mounted on said cage and positioned thereon to guide said cable to said power unit through said upper cable guide.

6. The self-operated elevator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said adjustable support means includes:

(a) elongate tubular members mounted on each side of said cage base adjacent the rear thereof and positioned substantially parallel with said platform,

('b) an elongate shaft slidably mounted within each of said tubular members,

(c) a yoke fixedly mounted on one end of each shaft,

(d) said wheels being rotatably mounted within each respective yoke and positioned to rotate about an axis transverse to said shaft, and

(e) shaft retaining means adapted to frictionally engage said shaft to retain same in selected adjusted positions.

7. The self-operated elevator as set forth in claim 6 wherein the shaft retaining means includes:

(a) an elongate retaining rod rotatably mounted on each of said tubular members and positioned transverse to said elongate shaft, said retaining rod being threaded on one end thereof;

(b) a rod retaining member secured to each of said tubular members and being internally threaded to receive said threaded end of said retaining rod therein; and

(c) a handle member mounted on the other end of said retaining rod whereby rotating said retaining rod in a first direction moves said rod to frictionally engage said shaft and rotating said retaining rod in a reverse direction moves said rod to permit adjustment of said respective wheel and shaft.

8. A one-man self-operated portable scaifold comprising:

(d) a cage support member positioned above said cage;

(e) a cable having one end secured to said cage support member and the other end secured to said first and said second means, said cable being adapted to be engaged by said first and said second means;

(f) a swivel support member having a wheel rotata'bly therein and mounted below said platform at an apex point of said triangular second portion;

(g) wheels rotatably mounted on said platform first portion and adjustable between a first position adapted to engage a horizontal surface for cooperation with said wheel of said swivel support member for horizontal movement along said horizontal surface and a second position adapted to engage a vertical surface for vertical movement therealong; and

(h) a plurality of tool supporting members mounted on said cage main frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 306,526 10/ 1884 Rossvally 182--229 489,368 1/1893 Bruce l82--142 2,178,956 11/1939 Dyer 182-142 2,689,890 9/1954 Green 182-142 2,839,123 6/1958 Summit 182-150 FOREIGN PATENTS 625,310 9/1961 Italy.

1,123,045 6/1956 France.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. l82-229, ll3 

